Do you really love me?
by mistleglow
Summary: In which Percy is possessive over Nico and Jason doesn't like that. Especially when he knows Percy's only using him for other advantages. But Nico isn't really sure about his relationship with either of the boys. And now they're fighting for his hand. But he refuses to believe it when either of them confess their love, because everyone knows children of Hades never get their way.
1. Chapter 1

"Back off Grace, he's _mine_," The small, dark haired boy blinked uncertainly as he was suddenly pulled into the older boy standing next to him's chest.

There was a sturdy arm wrapped around him, and all Nico could do was bury his face shamefully into the older boy's shirt.

He smelt like the ocean, which should have felt comforting, but it wasn't.

The arm wrapped around him should have made him feel safe and secure. It didn't.

It was more of a possessive challenging embrace, rather than an affectionate one.

Nico had spent his entire life dreaming about being held by the older boy-but now that he was actually in the moment, all he felt like doing was squirming.

"What are you talking about? He's a person, not an object. He doesn't belong to _anybody_," the blonde haired boy snarled, and stormed up to the black-haired boy until they were face to face. The blonde towered over Percy by about half a head, but the shorter boy seemed to hold all the power, gripping onto Nico like a hostage. Nico always felt Jason's height comforting, because he could always easily nuzzle into his shirt, but now, as he shadowed over him, he felt like whimpering. He never knew Jason could look this scary.

"What have you ever done for him?" Percy demanded, placing a hand over the smaller boy's head.

"He likes _me, Grace. _He even said it out loud. Do you know how much courage that takes? He risked all that to tell me he _likes _me. I think that's more than enough information." He pulled Nico even closer in, until his face was squished against his chest.

"Mmph, Percy," Nico said, squirming around uncomfortably. Being this close to the older boy should have made his heart pound like crazy, but all he felt was a surge of annoyance, but he didn't let it show on is face. Instead, he just stared at the ground, trying to avoid eye contact with the blonde boy in front of him.

"And what have _you _done for him? Got his sister killed, sent him away because you didn't trust him because he made you talk to his father _once _to know more about his mother, which is exactly what you would have done if you were in his place, _and _you told everyone on the Argo II about his betrayal, and not about the good things he's done for the war, and for _you, _Jackson," Jason said ferally, not even taking a moment's breath, and slapped Percy's arm off of the smaller boy. Nico let the words Jason said sink in slowly, and stared at the floor shamefully. The elder teen was right. Why _did _he even like Percy? Nico clutched at his heart, but he couldn't bring himself to think like that. Percy was his hero. His knight in shining armour. The one he looked up to. The one that tried his hardest not to get Nico's sister killed, and tried his hardest to break it down to him gently. It wasn't his fault. Sure, there were a lot of times, where Percy refused to trust Nico, or didn't even _try _to see things from his point, but Percy was caring. Honest. Loyal.

_Only to the people he calls his friends. _The voice at the back of his mind taunted.

_You're obviously not one of them. He's never loved you the way you love him. Not even as a friend. And surely not as your knight in shining armour_. Nico tried his hardest to ignore the voice, and gritted his teeth together angrily.

"And yet he still likes me for who I am. He would never turn on me. He will _always _love me," Percy stated boldly, and Nico looked up in cold, raw shock. His breath hitched as he let the words truly sink in. Was this the reason Percy was being so protective over him? So that one day, when he might prove useful, he wouldn't _turn _on Percy? The blonde standing across from Nico remained silent for a moment, before chuckling harshly.

"You disgust me, Jackson. How about do _you _like him for who _he _is? Have you always been there to pick him back up when he falls? Have you always tried to be there for him, and to try to understand and accept who he is?" Jason said with a fierce passion, which surprised Nico. He wondered to what limits Jason was going to defend him. Sure, he had spent the summer with Jason, fooling around and visiting all the amusement parks and _feeding each other ice cream, _but he didn't really consider them to be all that close. Well, at least, not for Jason to feel the same way about him as he did for Jason.

"All you've done is push him away and mistrust him." Jason said quietly to Percy, after a moment of silence, and Nico's soft expression turned hard, and his fists began to ball up.

"I've _always _been there for him, maybe not physically being there, but how do you think he got through Tartarus-"

"That's _enough_," Nico seethed, and the two arguing boys fell quiet. He shook Percy's arm off, and bored into him with searing black orbs.

"Nico?" Percy asked, surprised.

"Do you really love me?" the smaller boy fidgeted, his voice cracking slightly. He looked both upset, angry and doubtful, which was a dangerous mix for a son of Hades.

"Don't be stupid-"

"Answer me. Honestly." Nico looked up angrily. When he received no response, he shook his head furiously.

"I should have seen this coming. I can't believe how stupid I am. _Of course _you don't love me. Nothing should be so simple for a child of Hades." He buried his head in his hands.

"Nothing _ever _good happens to someone like me," he said bitterly, and shadows started shaking around him, as if shifting with his mood. Percy backed up a few steps.

"Nico, you're wrong, I _do _care about you. I know you'd never hurt me, because you care about me too," Percy said nervously. The way the son of Poseidon phrased the question really rubbed Nico the wrong way.

"That's just it. You're relying everything on my-my _feelings _for you, and you're taking advantage of that. You don't feel anything for _me_. You feel something for what advantages I might bring you. You need help in a war? I'll always be there," he spat with a certain kind of rage, which really shook Jason.

"Need help negotiating with Hades? Here I am. You die? I'd do anything to bring you back, even if it means trading in my own life." Nico said, and hung his head down devastatedly, tears dripping, splattering onto the pavement. He looked absolutely broken.

"Just who the hell are you to take advantage of me like that?" his voice cracked.

And before Percy could reach for him, he shifted and disappeared with the shadows.


	2. Chapter 2

**laughs maniacally**

* * *

><p>"What the hell is your problem?" The blonde turned to glare at the black haired boy furiously.<br>"How is this _my _fault?" the other boy scoffed, and plopped down exasperatedly.  
>"You dare say that after all the pain you've caused him? You're seriously messed up," Jason seethed, his eyes turning a dangerous static blue. The black haired boy sat up.<br>"How am I causing him pain? I told him I loved him-that should be enough for the kid to be happy enough to last a lifetime," Percy argued back, and Jason stormed towards him, whipping out his gladius and pressing it against the other boy's throat.  
>"You make me sick. Did you feel nothing when you told him you loved him? Are those just words you dish out to just anyone?" he pressed the sword harder into the black haired boy's throat, inducing a sound much like between a constipated cat and a dying whale.<br>"_Telling _him means nothing. You have to _show _him. Don't think you're doing anyone any favours, Jackson, because all you're doing is stirring up trouble. That's all you've ever been good at doing," Jason said harshly, pressing even harder, until Percy began to turn purple.  
>"You're selfish, Jackson. And spoilt. You think you can keep up this little game? Any fool can see that you're only using Nico," he shook his head, while Percy's eyes nervously flitted towards the door. Jason dropped the very last bomb. "You're still with Annabeth aren't you?"<p>

"Stupid, stupid, _stupid _," Nico kicked everything he saw in sight. Trashcans, wrappers and paper flew everywhere. But he couldn't stop the tears from dripping miserably down his face. He screamed in anger, and the entire room shook along with his rage.

"I- I _just _can't," he seethed, between hiccups. "I can't , I can't. I can't do this anymore. I've had _enough _of being strung along. I can't handle it anymore," he screamed, squeezing his eyes shut to hold the on-flowing tears back, and sliding shakily down the wall. He messily wiped his tears off his face with his hands, as well as his nose. He looked miserably around the room. _This place is a mess, _Nico thought furiously. He was willing to get angry at anything at this moment. There were thousands and thousands of letters pinned to the walls, and sticky notes all over his furniture.

It was a pretty messy place to live. Then he remembered what the sticky notes were. All of them were letters addressed to Percy.

He blinked.

They were for every time Nico _felt _something. He would write something a lot like a diary addressed to Percy whenever he was excited or frustrated-letters he'd never send. It would have been too embarrassing to. But now Nico felt stupid. Percy'd never loved him.  
>So why…did he keep writing? A pen had somehow appeared in his hand, and he was already shakily scribbling down words. Tears splotched the page and smudged the ink, but he didn't really care anymore.<p>

"So Percy…I guess this is it, huh?" he scrawled down, before blinking back new tears forming in his ears.  
>"I don't like to have feelings but…this really really hurts," he shakily dropped the pen, and cupped a hand over his mouth. He buried his head in his knees and choked, unable to leave the room with the thousands of sticky note letters all addressed to the boy who would never love him back.<p> 


End file.
